Due to the rise in crime and violence people are in danger of being attacked, especially at night. A simple protection consists in a flashlight by means of which an attacker can be seen and possibly identified quickly at night. Flashlights are therefore regularly carried by safety units such as police, security personnel etc.
Also known are spray cans with irritating gases, e.g. tear gas, pepper sprays, etc., which can be aimed and sprayed at an attacker. These irritating gases are designed to incapacitate an attacker for at least a certain period of time. The sprayed irritating substances usually act intensively on the eyes, so that an attacker's sight is substantially affected. To obtain a sufficiently strong effect it is necessary for the spray to reach open eyes.
A manually operated self-defense device combining a light and a spray device in one unit is already known. Such a device is marketed under the designation: "Irritating gas and light pistol TW 1000 Flash Light". This device is in form of a pistol, with the light and spray mechanism being at the muzzle of an imitation pistol barrel, whereby the direction of the spray and of the light beam corresponds to the direction of the barrel. An On/Off switch for the light portion is located in the back of the handle. The actuating lever of the spray mechanism has the aspect and position of a pistol trigger. Furthermore an adjustable safety button for the actuating lever of the spray mechanism is located below on the pistol handle. Special cartridges are required for the irritating spray gas to be inserted into the pistol handle. This combination of light and spray mechanism has the disadvantage that an attacker is warned in advance by the highly visible pistol shape. It is also possible that when mistaking the device for a fire arm, an attacker may be tempted to overreact to the disadvantage of the person defending himself.
It is considered to be a further disadvantage that the spray direction and the direction of the light beam are identical. When the irritating gas pistol is aimed at the face of an attacker he closes his eyes under the blinding effect so that the effectiveness of the irritating gas sprayed is much reduced at the same time and is therefore insufficient for an effective defense.
Another disadvantage is the complicated handling. The gas cartridge can only be inserted, and the connection to the actuating lever on the device can only be effected by means of a tool and with the addition of a drop of oil, and additional adjustments are necessary for a trouble-free operation. If a gas cartridge has not been inserted very carefully, the danger is created that the spray mechanism may not function when needed. Furthermore, the actuation itself is complicated and can lead to confusion in the excitement of an attack. Since the light switch is actuated with the thumb, and the actuating element as well as the safety button for the spray mechanism are actuated with the index finger of the same hand and with the same hand position, errors in operation may occur. Furthermore, the force required to actuate the light switch at the back of the pistol handle is applied on the other side of the handle in the opposite direction of the actuating element of the spray device (and vice versa), so that in the hectic moment of an attack errors in operation and unintentional spraying may occur as a result.
The flash light and the spray device are permanently combined so that the two mechanisms cannot be separated from each other and be used separately if need be. Furthermore, flash lights with the conventional cylindrical form are known, with a light head, a cylindrical central tubular element to hold the batteries, and a screw cap at the end. For selective utilization of many different batteries in adaptation to a desired light beam length, it is a known method to make the central tube in several parts and to connect the individual parts to each other as needed by means of threads.
It is the object of the present invention to further develop a self-defense device of the type mentioned above so that operation is improved while structure remains simple and functioning reliable. This object is attained through the characteristics of claim 1.